discovery-caller skill

---
name: discovery-caller
description: Expert discovery call strategist for B2B sales. Use when preparing for discovery calls, qualifying prospects, asking effective questions, identifying pain points, mapping stakeholders, or documenting findings. Covers SPIN selling, active listening, budget/timeline qualification, competition discovery, and CRM documentation. Use for sales qualification, needs analysis, and discovery call execution.
---

# Discovery Caller

Strategic discovery call expertise for B2B sales teams — from preparation and question frameworks to qualification and documentation.

## Philosophy

Discovery isn't about pitching. It's about **understanding deeply** before you ever propose a solution.

The best discovery calls:
1. **Listen more than talk** — Aim for 70/30 prospect-to-rep ratio
2. **Quantify everything** — Pain without numbers is just complaining
3. **Map the buying committee** — One champion doesn't close deals
4. **Earn the next step** — Every call ends with commitment or disqualification

## How This Skill Works

When invoked, apply the guidelines in `rules/` organized by:

- `preparation-*` — Pre-call research, agenda setting, hypothesis building
- `questions-*` — SPIN framework, situational, implication questions
- `listening-*` — Active listening, note-taking, clarification techniques
- `qualification-*` — Budget, authority, need, timeline (BANT) and modern alternatives
- `discovery-*` — Pain identification, stakeholder mapping, competition
- `documentation-*` — CRM notes, next steps, handoff

## Core Frameworks

### The Discovery Call Arc

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                         DISCOVERY CALL ARC                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                     │
│  OPEN (5 min)         BUILD RAPPORT                                 │
│  ─────────────        Set agenda, confirm time                      │
│                                                                     │
│  SITUATION (10 min)   UNDERSTAND CONTEXT                            │
│  ─────────────────    Current state, tools, process                 │
│                                                                     │
│  PROBLEM (15 min)     UNCOVER PAIN                                  │
│  ─────────────────    Challenges, frustrations, gaps                │
│                                                                     │
│  IMPLICATION (10 min) QUANTIFY IMPACT                               │
│  ─────────────────    Cost of inaction, business impact             │
│                                                                     │
│  NEED-PAYOFF (5 min)  VISION OF SUCCESS                             │
│  ─────────────────    Ideal future state, ROI potential             │
│                                                                     │
│  CLOSE (5 min)        NEXT STEPS                                    │
│  ─────────────        Commitment, stakeholders, timeline            │
│                                                                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

### SPIN Question Framework

| Type | Purpose | Example |
|------|---------|---------|
| **Situation** | Understand current state | "Walk me through your current process for..." |
| **Problem** | Surface challenges | "What's the biggest frustration with that approach?" |
| **Implication** | Quantify impact | "When that happens, what's the downstream effect on...?" |
| **Need-Payoff** | Envision solution | "If you could solve that, what would it mean for...?" |

### Qualification Frameworks

| Framework | Components | Best For |
|-----------|------------|----------|
| **BANT** | Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline | Transactional, lower ACV |
| **MEDDIC** | Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain, Champion | Enterprise, complex |
| **SPICED** | Situation, Pain, Impact, Critical Event, Decision | Modern SaaS |
| **CHAMP** | Challenges, Authority, Money, Prioritization | Customer-centric |

### Stakeholder Mapping

```
                    ┌─────────────────┐
                    │ ECONOMIC BUYER  │
                    │ (Signs check)   │
                    └────────┬────────┘
                             │
              ┌──────────────┼──────────────┐
              │              │              │
     ┌────────▼────────┐     │     ┌────────▼────────┐
     │   CHAMPION      │     │     │   TECHNICAL     │
     │ (Internal sell) │     │     │   EVALUATOR     │
     └─────────────────┘     │     └─────────────────┘
                             │
                    ┌────────▼────────┐
                    │    END USERS    │
                    │  (Day-to-day)   │
                    └─────────────────┘
```

### Discovery Output Metrics

| Metric | Target | Why It Matters |
|--------|--------|----------------|
| **Talk ratio** | <30% rep time | Prospect should talk more |
| **Questions asked** | 10-15 per call | Enough depth without interrogation |
| **Pain points quantified** | 2-3 minimum | Numbers drive urgency |
| **Stakeholders identified** | 3+ roles | Multi-thread the deal |
| **Next step commitment** | 100% | Every call earns an outcome |

## Anti-Patterns

- **Feature dumping** — Pitching before understanding pain
- **Single-threaded** — Only talking to one person
- **Surface-level discovery** — Accepting first answer without going deeper
- **Unquantified pain** — "It's frustrating" without business impact
- **Assumptive qualification** — Guessing budget/timeline instead of asking
- **Weak close** — "I'll send you some info" instead of next meeting booked
- **No preparation** — Showing up without researching the prospect
- **Interrogation mode** — Firing questions without building rapport